Making a public liability insurance claim

Public liability claims can happen to anyone

And when they do - we're here to help

We all like to think the worst will never happen to us – but public liability claims can happen to anyone. If someone does make a public liability claim against you, our award-winning claims service* are on hand to help make a difficult situation a lot easier – at a time you need it most.

To make things even easier for you, here’s some information on the type of accidents and incidents that might lead to a claim, reasons why a claim might not be paid and how to track your claim online.

Examples of public liability claims

While you do your best to get everything right, a minor slip-up or accident can lead to claims running into the tens of thousands of pounds.

Here are some examples of accidents and incidents that could lead to a public liability claim:

• You’re a builder working on scaffolding when your tools fall off and damage your customer’s car 
• You’re a beautician and a customer suffers facial burns after you wax her eyebrows 
• You‘re a gardener mowing a lawn and a stone has damaged your customer’s window 
• You’re a cleaner and your customer slips on the damp stairs that you’ve just cleaned 

Making claims clear

At AXA, we understand we have a responsibility to be as clear as possible to our customers. So we want to explain some of the most common situations where a public liability claim might not be paid – to help ensure this doesn’t happen to you.

Your claim is less than your excess amount

Your excess is the amount you pay when you make a public liability claim. But if your claim is less than your excess, you can’t claim for it. For example, if you make a claim for £150, but your excess is £200 – you won’t be able to make a claim.

You don't meet your policy conditions

Depending on the nature of your business, its location or the sums insured, we may have agreed to provide cover for your business. This is on the understanding that you agree to comply with certain requirements, which will all be detailed in your policy. If you’ve agreed to comply with these requirements but don’t actually meet them, your claim might not be paid.

If you’re unsure about any aspect of your public liability insurance policy, you can read and download the policy summary and wording – which you should read in conjunction with your policy schedule.

Track your claim online

Once you’ve made your public liability claim, you’ll be able to track the whole thing from start to finish online using our real-time claims tracking tool.

Available via desktop, tablet and mobile, you’ll have 24/7 access to all the claims you have in progress, and all the key information you need, including liability decisions, payment and settlement details.

^*Our claims team have won leading industry awards at the British Insurance Awards 2012, The Claims Awards 2012, CII Public Interest Awards 2015 and The British Insurance Awards 2015.

^**Our claims office is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm, but any calls outside of these hours are picked up by our out-of-hours claim team on a 24/7 basis. Calls are charged at local rate and may be recorded or monitored.